a phone call away
by Mika Uriah
Summary: For her Ashley; Magnus is ALWAYS a phone call or a text message away. No exceptions. They are family. - Also contains smatterings of Helen/Tesla flirting/romance but not too important.


Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: not bet'd

A/N 2: BOLD text indicates text message.

000

Nikola Tesla studied the smiling face of Helen Magnus as she looked through her phone again and shook her head good naturedly "that's the fifth time in a little under half an hour you looked at your phone everything okay on the sanctuary home front?" he teased, they were walking in the park after a nice dinner at a local and very small eatery.

She nodded "Ashley…has a date tonight," she grinned "this Cameron boy she seems pretty fascinated with him actually, which is odd for her in a way, she doesn't usually have a fascination with anything other than her school work, sports, dance and the Sanctuary."

"Ah. I see, and do we like this 'Cameron'?"

"Why did you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like he was lying about his name."

"How do you know he's not, he is a teenage boy. They lie about everything."

Helen laughed, "He's fine. Handsome and kind of quiet. He's into: art and music, I was kicked out of the house and she's cooking for him."

"Wow this is serious; you've never cooked for me

"I don't actually like you," she teased

"You wound me Helen," he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer as they walked towards a park bench.

Helen was going to respond when her phone vibrated in her hand: **hey mom? What frying pan do you use to cook the chicken in like you know when you cut it up into chunks and put it in the frying pan to black it?**

Helen smirked and showed the text to Tesla than responded: **Ashley, you use the medium sized frying pan you can use the skillet by it might be too heavy for you. You're not BLACKENING the chicken you're BROWNING it. Are you sure you don't want me to cook?**

**Got it! Thanks! Right Brown! Not black! No mom it's okay I got it. Love you bye.**

"This is going to end badly isn't it?" Tesla asked as he read her response over her shoulder "yes. Probably."

"You want to go home?"

She put her head up to the sun and let it bathe on her face a bit as she shook her head "nope I trust her."

He watched a duck near a pond for a minute before he spoke again "and if she's having hot raunchy sex on your antique office desk?"

She didn't miss a beat "I'll feed him to something."

Her phone rang with another text **mom? Where's the fire extin...nevermind. **

**Ashley….**

**No mom it's okay I got it, I just banged the frying pan on the burner until it went out, just kind of smokey *cough* *grin* maybe I should open a window or something before Cam gets here**

Helen groaned and started to text and speak at the same time "can I admit something Tesla?" **open a few windows, if the smoke is still too much then turn on the exhaust fan.**

**Awww *Grin* thanks mom, how do you know so much about this stuff. **

**I'm your mother it's my job **she put her phone down "I'm scared. I'm scared that she's growing up and I don't know what to do, it seemed like yesterday she was taking her first steps, now it's high school graduation and football games and prom and, I had to pick up one of her friends who was too drunk to go home the other night, since amongst her friends I'm considered the 'cool mom.'" She rested her chin in her hand.

"I don't believe it."

"What? Drinking at 16?"

"No. Someone thinks your cool-ow," he rubbed his arm.

**Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Momomomomomom! This is important! Why aren't you answering your texts? Mom! Mom! mommomomomom! Answer me! Mom! **That came in as two texts but so quickly her text alert only went off once.

"I have you know I'm quiet cool" they still sat on the bench, the sun slowly setting behind the clouds "want to grab some tea?"

"Coffee." **You have to give me a chance to get the phone Ashley, what is it?**

"Philistine." She looked at her watch, it was half passed six

"Tea's good."

**I couldn't figure out how to work the rice cooker it's okay though I didn't see the 'cook' switch. The rice should be done in a few minutes…Mom…I'm nervous. Are you busy? Of course you're busy you're always busy you're Doctor Magnus.**

**I am never too busy for you. Why are you nervous? **

**I dunno what if…**She trailed off on the text and Helen frowned at it, but put her phone down and pulled Tesla off of the park bench and they started walking towards a small café they both liked

"It's not bad you know?"

"What's not?" She threaded her arm into his as they walked down the side walk

"You being scared about her growing up. We watched you grow up and that was pretty scary and that was way before the internet and all of these other things. I'd be scared too if I had a daughter her age. Or…well...Any age."

"You would've been a good dad if you found the right woman," they stopped in the middle of the side walk just in front of the café they were walking to and he pulled her close.

"I thought I did find the right woman a long time ago," their lips were inches apart, their breaths mingled and just as they were about to kiss Magnus' phone rang "she definitely has the Magnus timing," they pulled apart.

"How do you know it was Ashley?"

"Hunch."

She grinned and answered the phone "Ashley what happened? You trailed off on your text about 20 minutes ago and didn't come back until just now."

"I…mom…"Even Tesla old hear the tears on the other end of the phone, they were kind of static because of the mobile phone that he still refused to get, but they were there nonetheless they started to walk back toward the sanctuary as it was just a couple of blocks and they figure because of the nice weather they wouldn't need the car

"What is it? Ashley, I'm on my way home okay, are you hurt?"

000

Magnus literally ran into her the sanctuary, she didn't think about safety precautions or alarms going off of anything else, her daughter, her flesh and blood had call her crying and hurt that was the only thing that was going through her head. Her life needed her. Ashley was her everything and her everything was hurt, injured and needed her; "Ashley honey?" Nikola and Helen walked through the formal living room and the media room, they found her in formal dining room, the table set perfectly, a bottle of non-alcoholic prosecco chilled in an ice bath and candles lit, a perfect chicken mango curry over a bed of basmati rice laid over two plates. Both not touched, Ashley's hands were on her face by her shoulders shaking it was obvious that she was crying and Magnus pulled her to stand up and gave her a hug, rocking her slightly.

"M-m-mom" she sobbed a bit not caring that her mascara was now probably smudged.

"I'm here baby, I'm right here, what happened?"

"It wasn't a date" she squeaked "Cameron came to break up with me, I opened the door and he told me that it was over and the horned honked outside and it belonged to Jessica Santana and and and…Mom…" she cried again and all Magnus could do was hold her.

Magnus rocked her and rubbed her back "I'm here, I'm right here. Always, okay? Even when you need to call me and I have to travel half way around the world to get to you, I am right with you."

Tesla kissed the back of her head and hugged them both squishing Ashley in the middle "we both are. That's what family is; besides we can always feed him to something."


End file.
